A Weasley, A Potter and A Granger
by thefishoutofwater
Summary: A Weasley, A Potter and A Granger. Just when Hogwarts thinks it has seen it all ...
1. Chapter 1

Everything was under control. Dinner, a wonderful filo pastry topped chicken pie, was in the oven bubbling merrily. The salad was fresh and glistening in a bowl on the sideboard and the table was set Ten perfectly aligned knives, forks and glasses gleaming and ready to go. The late afternoon sunlight warmed the kitchen through a double set of French doors; both currently flung open to allow the very essence of summer filter into the house. There was a strong scent from the lavender that framed the patio and it mingled with the smell of the pie as it cooked.

Confident that she could do nothing more until her husband and sister-in-law arrived home Ginny Potter walked through the doors feeling the sun hit her skin. She stopped briefly watching her brother race around the lawn pursued by her husband's godson and her eldest son both of whom wielded brightly coloured plastic water guns, aiming with deadly and sopping accuracy. She smiled as she watched her second son and her niece hurtle from behind the summer house and into Ron's path forcing him to swerve towards the two youngest members of the family who quickly pulled a rope, Merlin knew where from, in front of his feet bringing him to the ground. She heard him bellow as all four of children quickly piled onto him – a wriggling and giggling mass of tickling followed by squeals of laughter as James and Teddy alternated powering their WWW Reservoir Charged Soakers at the pile of limbs wrestling on the floor.

"Should I help him d'you think?"

She turned to the sound of her husband who had stepped into the open door way, case still in hand and soot clinging to the arm of his shirt indicating he had only just arrived. Her smile blossomed into a grin as she reached up to wipe the soot away and to kiss his cheek.

"Nah. I think he's got it under control." She sniggered as they both stood for a moment watching as Ron pulled himself upright and shook his head droplets of water shooting away from him as if he were a dog just out of a river only to be pulled back down by Albus clambering on his back.

"Daddy!" A pink streak, hair glowing in the sun shot out of the ? on the floor and ploughed into his stomach. "You're home!" She peered around him, "Where's Aunt Hermione? I'm hungry?"

Lily's disengagement from the group has given Ron a moment's respite and he took it jumping to his feet. He shoulder charged Teddy whilst flicking his hair which flickered between blue and purple at the touch and pulling James into a loose headlock with one arm and tickling his side mercilessly with the other.

"Peace, Uncle Ron, Peace" he yelled "Dad! Save me!"

Harry planted a quick kiss on his daughters crown, muttered at her to hold tight, dropped his case and headed towards the group in the middle of the lawn.

"Seems to me like you've bit off more than you can chew son," he laughed as he watched the two. He caught his godson's eye and made an almost indiscernible tilt of his head. Demonstrating reflexes that had not slowed over time he reached out and grabbed the Soaker as it flew through the air. He pumped it once and then fired it down the back of his best friend's shirt. Almost immediately James was released and in a heartbeat treating the front of his uncle's polo shirt in the same way much to the hilarity of the children still on the floor.

"I give in, I give in!" Ron shouted. "I've learned my lesson. Never mess with the Potter's!"

"Victory" shouted James high fiving his father who laughed whilst pulling his other son from the floor and to his side.

"A drying charm if you wouldn't mind Gin? pleaded Ron laughing, "and I'm with Lil's - where _is_ my wife? I thought she was going to head straight here with you from the ministry tonight mate."

Ginny headed out to the lawn wielding her wand at the family and dried them off, "Do I need to slow down dinner?"

"Don't think so," said Harry, pushing his hair from his forehead, "we'd just got off the lift on the way to the floo when she got pinged by a memo. She's been called down to the Registry room. No idea what but she didn't seem too worried so I don't think it has anything to do with anything she's working on at the moment. Mind, she did say that we should start dinner without her if needed. " he paused as the group walked back to the house, "you know she doesn't like to be a bother."

Ginny thought – eyes seeking out the two clocks on the wall. The regular clock told her she still had ten minutes before she needed to get dinner out of the oven whilst the nifty upgrade on the family clock she had grown up with showed Hermione was 'in transit'. As she looked the words flipped over in the odd style Hermione has created years ago to 'visiting'. No sooner had the words registered than Hermione herself appeared in the open door between the hallway, which held the floo, and the kitchen.

"You okay?"

"Good day?"

"Mum!"

"Anything we need to worry about?"

"You look like a glass of wine would go down well. Hmm?"

A cacophony of voices greeted her plus one set of serious glinting green eyes. She smiled, her own eyes quickly spotting the tell tale signs of the afternoon's frivolity. She held her arms out to her children, turning her face upwards to her husband for a kiss. She stopped for a moment and then with a deep breadth,

" I'm fine Ted, you? I had a lovely day thank you Rosie. "Hugo! Good to see you too, do I want to know what happened to your shorts?" she spotted the mud and grass stains that her son was littered with and he looked down, bit his lip and shook his head firmly "Nothing to worry about at all Ron, and Gin a glass of wine sounds beyond perfect . I don't suppose you have any of that elven fizz we had last weekend do you? Oh and Harry stop with the glaring everything is fine. In fact," the adults goggled at her and she let out a very un Hermione Weasley giggle, " things are fabulous!"

"Okay folks, I need everyone at the table in five minutes. I need everyone clean," Ginny eyeballed her eldest son and allowed her eyes to flick to his hands which he promptly put behind his back, "washed and ready to eat" Having so dismissed the younger members of the party Ginny turned into the kitchen opening the door to the cool air charmed pantry and pulled out a bottle of the requested wine whilst her husband retrieved wine glasses from the table which she quickly filled to near their rims.

"Are we celebrating then?" he asked.

"Lets wait for the kids, I think they'll be interested, especially Rosie and Al." She rolled her glass in hand and took a deep breath of the wine, "any help required Ginny?"

The red head smiled weakly at the thought of her sister in law in her kitchen, "you could get the jugs of juice out of the pantry for the kids." She raised her voice to be heard upstairs, "Teddy will you have wine, butterbeer or juice with dinner?"

Less than ten minutes later a significantly fresher looking group sat around the table, plates piled high with food.

"So love," Ron started speaking around a mouthful of food, "you going to tell us what has you giggling and necking wine on a school night?"

The hand that was lifting a forkful of chicken stopped in mid air. Everyone around the table froze. Ginny pulled her lips together and looked down at her plate trying not to catch anyone else's eye. This was classic Ron and she was fully expecting his wife to start shouting. At the bare minimum he was going to get full named. As the youngest of a large family she had never quite grown out of the joy of watching one of her siblings get firmly put in her place and Hermione had it down to an art form.

"Ah yes," Hermione took a breath and tried to ignore her frustration with Ron, "my little diversion on the way home from work. It's about Peter. Well more accurately it's about Olivia." She put for knife and fork down on the plate and watched the rest of the table.

The Potter kids and their mother looked blankly at her, as did Teddy. Ron has the furrow in between his eyebrows that meant he was thinking hard. Their son was showcasing the same look in perfect duplicate. Amusingly Rose and Harry were trying out the opposite look, both pairs of eyebrows shooting for their hairlines as they opened their mouths,

"Your dad's brother?"

"Great uncle Peter? cousin Liv?"

Noise broke out around the table as Hermione caught Harry's eye. They stared at each other briefly. His eyebrows moved once more and she motioned forward with her head.

"Yup. Her name's appeared on the Hogwarts Register. My cousin should get her letter tomorrow and they want me to take it down there," all heads were now turned towards Hermione whose eyes shone with mirth, "if I manage to explain to my uncle how everything he thought was true for the last thirty eight years wasn't quite as he saw it AND how his daughter is in fact a witch," again she let out a most unusual giggle, "come September Hogwarts gets a Weasley," she smiled at her daughter fondly, "a Potter," now she made eye contact with Albus who for seemed to have forgotten his pre school nerves as he grinned back at her, "and a Granger!" she leaned back in her chair and watched the show unfold, "just imagine!"


	2. Chapter 2

It was a bombshell Hermione had dropped at dinner on Wednesday thought Harry, chiding himself slightly for the muggle terminology. The news itself plus the giggling which in turn was helped along by her speedy consumption of wine was so un-Hermione-like. As such it had created an almost party atmosphere at the table. Ginny and their children as well as Hugo, who had seemed confused, had clamoured for an explanation of Uncle Peter and the unknown Olivia. Hermione well on her way to being drunk had been only too happy to oblige and yet her tales of growing up with an uncle only three years older than herself were more than a little confusing for those around the table who did not know the story. As Ginny had been helping Ron gather all of the items he needed to take home Hermione had leaned in against Harry's shoulder in a familiar gesture,

"I'll be out of the office tomorrow doing what I need to do." She had said firmly yet quietly to him, all hints of the giggles and wine gone, "and I was thinking that after all that I might take a personal day on Friday." Her jaw had set ready for an argument.

"You say this like you report to me Hermione." He said, "you work harder than anyone I know so I'm guessing no one cares one way or the other if you grab a day for you and your family. You know? What's a day here or there. Just know I'm here if you need me. In fact if you want me to come tomorrow I can do?" She had shaken her head so fervently he had backed off, pecking her cheek, shaking Ron's hand and letting them get away.

Nonetheless, he thought as he finished dressing on Saturday morning that was then. It was now three days later and he needed to know she was okay. Wanted to know how she had got on at Peter's. A such he was relieved it was an August Saturday. A Saturday in August in the Weasley family did not just mean unpredictable British weather - it also meant the Burrow. At some point in the last fifteen years, without having ever really discussed it Molly and Arthurs's children and their spouses had decided that July was holiday month and that August was a time for relaxing at home, which in turn meant Saturdays at the Burrow.

Molly had insisted her home be rebuilt exactly how it had been before the night of the attack. Not surprisingly therefore by 1999 the Burrow looked much as it always had and it gave her comfort every day that she could imagine Fred coming down the stairs, laughing ,pranking his siblings. Then in the middle of an unusual summer heat wave tiny, perfect Victoire was born and Molly was hit with the realisation that her family, rather than shrinking, was going to grow. So without a word, for Prewitt's were stubborn, she started to cast additional charms that stabilised the precarious building, cleaned it and extended it until she was confident that all six of her offspring and their partners and in turn their offspring could always say that the Burrow was a home from home. It was that home from home Harry all but force flooed his children to a 9 am on the second Saturday in August.

"Morning Molly!" he shouted with gusto, not waiting for a response, " hope you don't mind but the boys were uber-high energy about coming today and I want Ginny to have a sleep in so I've given in. Giving in and given up!" He smiled winningly at his mother-in-law as he was gathered up in a soft embrace, "I hope we aren't going to be a bother?"

"Nonsense dear." Molly lined the three younger Potters up and looked at them carefully, scrutinising them for changes in the six days since she had last seen them, a warm smile on her face, "You aren't even first. Everyone else is outside although Ron may be in the kitchen," she made eye contact with Harry, the corners of her lips turning up, "There are pancakes and waffles in the Keep-It-Warm on the sideboard"

"Thanks Gran" and with a shout and a quick hug Albus was tearing outside looking for this cousins; his little sister hot on his heels. James, a year older and fairly astute for his age felt he was missing something, slouched to a big armchair in the corner of the room nearest to the kitchen and opened a book from the coffee table, trying to blend in.

"If there's food that'll be where Ron is." said Harry over his shoulder already on the move towards his first and oldest friend, "Morning mate – you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." Ron's head shot up and he looked slightly guilty at the interruption that found him dipping a folded pancake into the gravy boat filled with Molly's secret recipe summer fruit sauce, "Not bad. Had a great day yesterday with Hermione playing hookie from work – we went to Cambridge, picnic, punt, the works. Rosie was in awe of the place."

"Cool." Harry listed briefly to the voice calling for subtlety and then ignored it, "Is she okay? How did she get on with Peter? What did he say? Is she stressing out? Peter always seemed like a nice bloke, I can't believe he'd take it badly"

Ron held his hands up, "Woah there Auror boy. Can you please not be interrogating me first thing in the morning? We did the same training remember." His easy tone took the sting out of his words. "She'll be here in a bit. She didn't say much other than Liv would be going to Hogwarts and we'd need to help her out a bit. Hermione knew you'd be like this - said she might as well tell us the whole story together. In fact she was surprised you hadn't popped over last night."

Harry flushed slightly, "I would have but Gin told me to wait. So where is she then?"

"You know Hermione. Muttered something about research and took off early this morning, promised she'll be here by lunch though. What I can't believe though," Ron was now on the move with Harry at his side and James trailing quietly behind, "is that you remembered Peter at all. I mean you've met him what, two or three times?"

Harry thought for a second,

"Yeah but the first time we met him was the summer after fifth year and I didn't realise who he was. Thought he was paying far too much attention to the girls than I thought wise for a nineteen year old bloke."

Ron laughed "D'you know that's exactly what Bill thinks ever time Teddy gets within fifty paces of Vic!"

Hugo was the last to finish eating. With a final mouthful of crumble he pushed his plate away giving a satisfied sigh much to the amusement of the collection of adults around the table. Ginny stood, ruffling her nephew's hair,

"Like father like son hey?" her gentle teasing was greeted with laughter. She started to levitate the empty plates into a pile,

"Hermione. Ang and I will clear up if you take Ron and Harry for a walk and tell them exactly what happened on Thursday before one of them combusts. We're all pleased to know Liv is joining Al and Rose next month but I think these two might have a couple more questions"

Hermione smiled, nodding at the suggestion and stood.

"What say you gents?" she asked holding her hands out, palms upright, "Can I tempt you to a stroll."

James watched as the three walked off arm in arm. They'd be heading for the big tree at the bottom of the garden he was sure. It was his Aunt's favourite spot. Not waiting to be excused he set off following a more direct route than the meandering path the adults were taking and carefully climbed into the lower limbs of the old tree in wait to see what he could overhear.

"So I thought it would be better to talk to Peter and his wife Beth first without Liv, you know in case they didn't take it well - I didn't want the first thing her to associate with being a witch was her parents being upset," Hermione paused gathering her thoughts, "they actually took the whole magic thing pretty well all told. A couple of simple transfigurations was all it took to convince them I hadn't totally lost the plot, although Beth managed to a wangle a couple of household spells from me for extra proof." She smiled, "Don't think her wardrobes have ever been that tidy! So anyway magic they got, Olivia being magical they seemed pretty cool with but me, well all of us, and the statute of secrecy... that took a bit more work." They'd reached her favourite spot in the Burrow's huge gardens and she sat down resting her back against the old tree enjoying the shade. She patted the ground on either side of her and carried on,

"Peter said he felt like everything had been a lie, even though he did acknowledge that it was mostly lies of omission. You know pretty much everything from him having assumed I'd been at Gordonstoun or something because we always told him I was at boarding school in Scotland, to the fact very few of Ron's family had been to our wedding even though they knew his family was big."

Harry snorted at the understatement, his memory flipping back to the church service that had in fact been the first of the two marriage ceremonies that Ron and Hermione had celebrated.

"Trying to explain our jobs was tough as well. Harry," she turned to face him, "Peter now thinks you are a mix of policeman, MI5 and SAS."

"Not a million miles off though is he?" said Harry as Ron looked confused as the unknown acronyms which his wife hurried to explain,

" a sort of spy and a top secret soldier, very hush hush, very dangerous. You sweetie they sort of got to grips with as an instructor and as for me well they seem to think I'm a civil servant shuffling policy papers."

"Again," said Harry with a smile, "not a million miles off."

"Sounds like it all worked out alright in the end though?" Ron queried, "I take it Olivia was excited. Pleased to know what her accidental magic had been about?"

"Yeah she was really pleased. I'm thinking she's probably going to be pretty good. Even the accidental magic sounds like it was pretty controlled. Mostly to do with the decorations in her bedroom. I don't think Olivia and Lil are going to bond over a shared love of colour pink"

"So what aren't you telling us then Hermione?" Ron may have been happy to not to challenge his wife but Harry had no such qualms. "You're missing something out. I can tell."

She sighed deeply, "I'm just worried for the kid. You know how hard James had it last year with the staring and gossiping and trying to sort out the real friends from those who were more interested in his name. Well at least you and Gin had prepared him for it as gently as you could and he did have Freddie and Vic looking out for him. Rosie and Al will have each other to get them through it and again we've been trying to get them ready for it since we were sure they'd be going to Hogwarts. This poor kid. She knows nothing and its going to be really tough for her. Its also making me more worried about Rosie"

Ron put his arm loosely around her pulling her in for a gentle squeeze and opened his mouth to speak, concerned about her concern for their daughter.

"What else Hermione?" Harry sounded sympathetic but firm, "spit it out."

"It's...well...erm," it was unusual for Hermione to be lost for words and both men were more than a little perturbed, "you see," the words came out in a rush, "she's like me. I mean she could actually be me at eleven. A clone or something. She loves to read, was so excited about learning new stuff, wanted to know when she could get her school books to make a start. And it's not just that - she looks like me. The absolute spit in fact. She's a tiny thing with a huge mop of brown hair that looks like a mattress factory exploded and a brace doing something about a fair set of teeth." She paused and pulled a photo from her skirt pocket and threw it down on her legs, gesturing at it. "See."

Hermione did, on occasion, have a tendency towards over exaggeration but a quick glance at the little girl sitting perfectly still in her school photo made it clear that this was not one of those times.

Ron picked up the photo smiling fondly at the little girl who looked a lot like his earliest memories of his wife, "What has that got to do with Rosie though?"

Harry half closed his eyes and through his head back against the cool tree trunk. He thought he knew where Hermione was going with this and he really did not want to have to spell it out to Ron.

"Ronald," she began clearly frustrated, "just think for a second. Imagine the scene. There's Olivia – probably with a set of robes a tad too big for her , hair wild around her head looking for all the world like I had time turner issues and ended up twenty six years out of place. She's going to be standing on one side of Al – who let's face it is Harry's mini-me minus the scar and the propensity to brood. On his other side is going to be our daughter. A Weasley for sure, hair and freckles and all, but still not looking like she quite belongs in this rehash of 1991." Her voice was gaining volume and pitch, "oh and to top it all off in this little trek back in time Draco Malfoy's kid starts school with them and he's another one who looks like he's just a chip off the old block. Our daughter's going to be stared at and talked about something rotten. She's not going to fit in before she even starts"

Ron looked a little lost for words as he pulled her into a sideways hug planting a small kiss on the side of her head. Harry stood,

"Well I'll leave you guys to it 'cos I promised the kids a game of football. But Hermione, I'm assuming we're taking Olivia with us next week when we go to get the kids school stuff so we're going to have to figure it out. Don't let yourself get carried away with your empty nest syndrome and worries. It's going to be fine. I promise."


End file.
